For a deeper dive on how
Democrats view their chances for
tonight, we're joined by house
speaker Nancy Pelosi.
Madam speaker, thank you so much
for being here.
I want to get right to the
election but of course I have to
ask you, how is your husband
doing?
Rep. Pelosi: It is so nice to
ask.
Day by day he gets better and
day by day I ask him, I've got
to do the campaign, ok?
He is well enough for me to do
that but we take it one day at a
time, but thank you for asking.
He has been deluged with
prayers.
Georgetown university here, nuns
of the sacred heart in San
Francisco, and churches across
the country pouring out prayers
and I believe in prayer.
Judy: And he has been getting
better.
Rep. Pelosi: He is making
progress.
Judy: We can't help but notice
that Republicans have spent I
think hundreds of millions of
dollars over the last many years
attacking you.
They have come after you on one
thing after another.
Just this year, they spent $50
million.
Do you see a connection between
all of that and the attack, what
was meant to be an attack on
you?
Rep. Pelosi: That is the sad
part of it, it was intended to
be an attack on me, and sadly my
husband paid the price.
What is sad about both of the
sentences you said, one about
the ads, the negative ads, the
misrepresentation, is I try to
encourage many women especially
to run for office and they will
say to me, I don't know if I can
handle all of the attacks you
receive.
I don't know if I can pass that
on to my family.
And I say, you campaign
attention to that.
As long as you are affected, you
will be a target.
The fact is, if you take the
attacks and feed the
disinformation and you get a
physical attack, that's almost
too much to ask.
So I am concerned.
We have to find a better path,
we have to unify, we have to
heal.
Judy: Is it clear to you we can
heal?
Rep. Pelosi: We have two.
We are America, the greatest
place that ever existed in the
world.
I have great confidence in the
American people.
Judy: Let's talk about the
election.
You just heard us reporting
polls are showing this looks
like a good night, a good day
for Republicans to take back
control of the house.
Do you see a way for Democrats
to hold on?
Rep. Pelosi: I do.
I have always objected to the
presentation, the media thread
that was out there, you cannot
win because it is an off year.
Who cares?
We have great candidates who
have confidence and courage to
run because they believe that
they know why they are running
and they know our democracy is
at stake in the planet is at
risk.
But also that you win these
elections on kitchen table
issues.
We have a great record.
Let me just say, I have three
measures -- message,
mobilization and money -- that
we have to have.
The most important part of that
is that is the platform for our
candidates to stand on.
We have far superior candidates.
We own ground out there today.
Just because a pungent in
Washington says history says you
can't win is no deterrent for
the enthusiasm we have out
there.
I think you will be surprised
this evening.
Judy: You mentioned kitchen
table issues.
I am sure you know a number of
democratic analysts are saying
people who identify as Democrats
are saying they think too many
democratic candidates this year
were talking about, as important
as they are, issues like
abortion and democracy rather
than tackling head on the
question of inflation, the
economy, crime, issues people
say they are worried about.
Rep. Pelosi: With all due
respect to whoever those
analysts are, our candidates
know their districts and they
are connecting to their
districts.
The message that might be useful
for somebody in Washington, D.C.
Is maybe not the message that
works.
Our candidates are contrasting
themselves in a positive way
about what they believe in.
Lower costs, your paychecks,
safer communities, and a record
that the Democrats have in that
regard that our great president
has taken the lead on, and
congress has fulfilled.
They take their message -- I
support freedom of choice for a
woman, you support a nationwide
ban on abortion.
I support lowering prescription
drug prices, you voted against
that.
You said your purpose if you win
is to reverse lowering prescript
and drug prices.
I support social security, you
say we should put it on the
chopping block.
The list goes on.
Climate, gun safety and the
rest.
In their districts, they know
all politics is local.
They know how to connect to
their voters better than some
general pundits in Washington
with all due respects.
Judy: I was going to say, one of
those analysts is a Greenberg,
who you know, these people have
spent years looking at the
democratic party and its
messaging.
The current Republican leader in
the house, minority leader Kevin
Mccarthy, talking about the debt
ceiling vote, which will come up
in weeks to come.
Speaks about it in terms of we
will have to hold back on
government spending, cut back
government spending before we
agrees to raise the debt
ceiling.
What does that say to you?
Rep. Pelosi: One place they are
targeting is social security.
They are saying we will put
social security and medicare out
there and use the debt ceiling
as our leverage.
And so we will be there for
social security and medicare.
The American people have to know
that is at stake in this
election.
Our challenge is we are not fear
mongers.
We are hope purveyors.
You don't want to scare people
but you have to let them know
what is at stake in the
election.
And they have been very clear,
they are going to use the debt
ceiling vote as a way to cut
social security -- they call
them entitlements and we call
them insurance programs people
have paid into.
Judy: If Democrats are in the
minority, how can they stop it?
Rep. Pelosi: We intend to win.
We have an election determined
by the American people.
It is a day where this entity of
the vote is revered, where
people vote and we have to
respect the results of that.
But again, whatever the outcome,
we will respect that.
Judy: A lot of detention -- of
attention has been devoted over
the last year to January 6,
public hearings, a lot of people
thought it would play a big role
in the election this fall.
It is not turning out to be,
voters are not saying that is
anywhere near the top of the
list of concerns.
Why do you think that is?
Rep. Pelosi: We never intended
it to be a political item, it is
about seeking the truth.
It has had an impact on taking
people to a place where they see
the truth more clearly.
It was never planned as a
political tactic.
But you do saying -- see people
saying democracy is at stake in
the election more and more and
those are not unrelated.
If you see the assault made on
the capital, on the constitution
of the United States, which we
all take an oath to protect and
defend that which clearly our
callings have abandoned on the
others of the aisle, and you see
the rhetoric going on that day
and what that man said coming
into my home, you see a threat.
That is just not something that
has a place and our democracy.
Judy: Which comment are you
referring to?
Rep. Pelosi: Where is Nancy am
aware is Nancy, where is Nancy?
And some of the rest of the
disinformation he used.
Again, our family is strong and
we have a lot of trauma to deal
with.
We don't want other families to
have to deal with that.
The babies born now will live
into the next century, even some
born in the last 10 years or so.
We want to make sure they have a
democracy that is strong, a
planet that is safe, values that
are intact, and we have healing
and unity that has produced
that.
This is an election, we will
take it in stride, I think we
will do better than anyone
expects.
We will see in a matter of
hours.
We might not have the results
right away but we will have some
idea as we go forward.
Judy: President Biden, his
approval rating, as I know you
know well, and the low 40's on
average, in some places even
lower.
Has he been a drag for Democrats
this year?
Rep. Pelosi: Not at all.
He's been a great president.
He has not received the respect
and appreciation come out
whether we are talking about
lowering the cost of
prescription drugs and
protecting social security and
medicare, whether we are talking
about 10 million jobs created
under his presidency.
Of course the private sector has
a role in that.
You're talking about a president
who has had legislation unseen
in this country or any country
to preserve the planet and fight
the climate crisis.
Gun violence protection.
Every subject you can name, a
woman's right to choose,
personal freedom just to enlarge
the issue to that.
He has been a great president.
In our districts, our members
are doing fine in terms of their
own approval ratings because of
what they have done to vote, in
terms of our candidates how they
intend to vote.
Judy: You think the white house
has done the job it needed to do
to get the message across you
just described?
Rep. Pelosi: Let me just say --
yes, I do, and I have no
complaint whatsoever about the
white house and what they have
done.
What I will say, there is a
massive disinformation campaign
going on in our country, it is
repeated again and again on TV
and in the press.
The clicks on it are formidable.
That is what is called news.
Now, analysts, deep, dark
special interest money is
pouring into that.
People who don't want to pay
taxes, people still fighting the
civil war, some combination of
those people.
Again -- the numbers that relate
to the president are really not
that bad.
When we lost in 2010,
unemployment was at 9.5%, right
now it is 3.5%.
This president doesn't get the
credit he deserves.
But I think there has to be a
recognition of the
disinformation that is out
there.
The American people are
certainly better off than they
were two years ago, but again,
because of disinformation, they
suffocate the airwaves with
disinformation and it confuses
people.
Judy: One last question about
you in your future.
You have served as speaker in
the house of representatives
especially during these last few
some mulch was years, you said
in an interview yesterday what
happened to your husband could
have bearing on whether you
decide to run again.
What about if Democrats were in
the majority, would that affect
your decision?
Rep. Pelosi: I'm not predicated
any action on Democrats not
winning tonight, that is a
conversation for another day.
Let's just get out the vote.
And again, with hope and respect
for everyone who votes,
Democrats, Republicans, the
clines estate -- declines to
state as they are called in
California, unaffiliated.
In my congress, I'm so proud of
house Democrats because they are
so courageous.
But I respect every member for
the people who sent them there.
The American people, I have
great confidence in them.
Judy: House speaker Nancy
Pelosi, thank you for joining
us.
Rep. Pelosi: A pleasure, thank
you.